Australian Outback Adventure - Day 9 - Ubirr and Barramundi Gorge

Saturday, October 27, 2012 - Cave Art and Swimming with the Crocs?

Way Outback Itinerary for Day 9:

You will journey to Ubirr, located within the East Alligator Region of Kakadu National Park. Here you will view a wide range of ancient Aboriginal art which will be interpreted by your guide. Learn the story of the Rainbow Serpent and climb the Nadab Lookout for panoramic views over the floodplain and beyond into Arnhem Land. After lunch we travel along a dirt road to Maguk (Barramundi Gorge). Following a short hike through monsoon forest and a rocky creek bed you will view the waterfall and have the opportunity to cool off with a swim in the clear plunge pool. As the day draws to an end we head to our private campsite at Cooinda for dinner and overnight stay.

• Ubirr
• Maguk (Barramundi Gorge)

Ubirr

Our first stop was Ubirr Art and Cultural site.  Towering rocks, cliffs, and over-hangs provided the sandstone "canvass" for the Bininj/ Mengguy people to illustrate their culture and transmit their values and stories for their young.  

Intimacy

Tasmanian Tiger

Great View from the Top of the Cliffs

Billabongs fill with early rain water - filled with bird life

We visited several rock galleries and climbed to the top of high rock outcropping or spectacular views of the valley already greening from early rains and dotted with billabongs (watering holes).  

While at one of the sites a school group of indigenous boys in uniforms from a football academy 300 km east of here joined our group and listened intently to the stories thatp Luke was sharing related to the art.

We finished our cultural walk around 11:00.  We were sweating but there was no cooling breeze and our clothes stuck to us like hot wet rags.   We clamored on to the bus wishing the air conditioner to hurry up and cool us off, then we were off to Jabiru and a bar-b-que chicken burger lunch.

Barramundi Gorge and Maguk

After lunch we made our way to Barramundi Gorge and Maguk (a fish) via the visitor center in Jabiru just long enough to change into our swim suits.  Luke flew across the rutted dirt road.  We were bouncing around hard and fast.  I thought we might bite off our tongues as our teeth chattered across the washboard.  We arrived in Maguk late afternoon and hiked to Maguk Falls and very large plunge pool.  In the wet season when the water is high, saltwater crocs find their way into the pool.  

As the water recedes in June, and the land bridge between the pool and the river is exposed, the salties are caught (they think they get all of them all, hmmm) and transported overland to the river, but they leave the fresh water crocs in the pool. 

Since we are one of the last safaris of the dry season, and they haven't had anybody attacked or eaten, they are reasonably sure that the salties are gone, but the freshies are still in the dark pool.  All righty then!  

Good enough for us.The sun is hot, our clothes are sticky, and the flies are all over us.  We ease ourselves into the water that does not feel all that cool, but at least the flies are at bay.  Some of our group swim across the pond to the waterfall and jumping rocks, others stay close to the beach....just in case....you know, tic toc, tic toc, tic toc.

After an hour or so of splashing about, we hurriedly dress and try to walk faster than the flies.  I've found that my light weight paru when wet and drapped over my head with visor and shoulders keeps me cool, shaded, and unattractive to.....flies and everyone else.  Perhaps this is also one of the reasons that Muslim women willingly wear a hijab. 

We couldn't resist taking photos of these termite mounds in the late afternoon sun.  Russ is the photographer.

These trees don't look so good.  Wonder Why?

Our Encampment

Once again we are  4 wheeling to our encampment.  We are in unpowered tents tonight.  Not only is there no light except from our headlamps, there is no oscillating floor fan and the tent is a stifling sauna.  

Camp Kitchen and Dining Room Enclosed by Screens

Home sweet home for our last night

Sleeping outdoors is not a realistic option either as there are some very active mossies waiting to suck our blood.  Eventually, after a great barbie of chicken sausages, beef and kangaroo steaks, wine coolers and a cool showers, we wander back to our tent.  We sleep on top of the sheet with nothing else.  This is our last night camping.

Australian Outback Adventure - Day 8 - Waterfalls, Billabongs, and Crocs

Our alarm blared us out of bed at 5:00 am. We were up late last night having dinner with new travel acquaintances.  We got ourselves dressed, ate some cereal and yogurt, packed our bags, and checked out.

A New Crew and Revised Itinerary

The morning heat and humidity was thick, and our clothes dampened up as soon as we stepped out of the air conditioned hotel. The 4x4 bus with a new guide/driver Luke picked us up at 6:30 a.m. This  was the smallest minibus we had been in yet,  and it had no utility trailer.  Not sure from the lack of trailer whether the roads would be too challenging or the need to carry as much equipment as we did to the outback.  Turns out, that it was a bit of both.

Our Alice Springs to Darwin guide John, and trainee Tarynt, were on this tour as helpful passengers refreshing or in the case of Tarynt learning the ins and outs of guiding this particular tour.  Three other passengers from our Alice Springs journey plus 5 new faces, 3 women from Germany, one from Estonia, and a young man from Canada joined the group.  We totaled 13 plus our guide.

Our Top End Guide Luke

To keep things fresh our Guide Luke decided to mix up the scheduled Itinerary.  We would be doing day 10 on day 8, day 8 would be on day 9, and day 9 on 10.  Got that?  No Worries Mate.  Fortunately,  Luke had it under control, and we went with the flow.  The trip itinerary was going to be reversed and we would be going to the Mary River National and Lichtfield National Parks today instead of day 10, then return to Darwin through Kakadu National Park the last two days.  At our first rest stop, we changed into our swimming suits, as there were no changing rooms at the waterfall.  

Way Outback Itinerary for Day 8 (originally scheduled for Day 10)

The Mary River Region is home to over 250 bird species and has the highest concentration of saltwater crocodiles in the Southern Hemisphere. Keep a look out for ‘crocs’ and other wildlife as you cruise along the tranquil Mary River. The remainder of today is spent exploring the waterfalls, spring-fed streams and rugged sandstone escarpments of Litchfield National Park. Discover intriguing cathedral and magnetic termite mounds and swim, hike and explore Florence and Wangi Falls (seasonal). We return to Darwin in the early evening.

• Mary River boat cruise
• Florence Falls
• Wangi Falls

Termites in Australia Build Big Homes While Eating Yours

Before reaching our swim destination we visited the giant termite mounds in Lichtfield National Park.  

Wouldn't want to build a wooden house in this area!

These mounds look like tombstones in the field.

These particular termites live most of their lives under ground and feed on grasses and trees of course, burrowing up from their underground subterranean network. Apparently they are beneficial to the environment, keeping the soil loosened up for plant matter to grow, but they are also destructive to the trees and wooden homes. Some of these termite mounds were 15 feet high and decades old. 

Florence Falls

Beautiful - No Croc Swimming Hole

Our first swim of the day was in a beautiful rocky-cliffed pool fed by two Falls (Florence Falls). The water, falls,  and swimming were a refreshing way to start the morning.  I swam across the pool to swim behind the falls if I could.  As I approached the base of the falling water, the wind and current challenged my swimming.  I tagged the wall and worked my way behind the falling water looking for an indent in the cliff to tuck into.  I couldn't find one, so I hugged the wall and swam out as the water pummeled my head and shoulders.  I pushed back from the walls and floated on my back looking up through the splash of crystal waters shooting off the edge of the cliff.  Wow and double wow.  Spectacular.

Wangi Falls

Our second swim of the day was in a series of cascading pools dropping into a canyon (Wangi Falls).  We found a shady one we liked  and just enjoyed lounging around.  

A large curious goanna lizard decided to join us.  I didn't see him at first nosing around my stuff.  They aren't aggressive, but just his size and his presence gave me a start.  

He seemed both wary and curious about those of us who came close enough to him to take photos.

Once our morning swim was over, we returned to the Banyon Tree Roadhouse and Caravan park for a lunch in the shade.  Fed and watered, we drove into the top of the Mary River Billabong to catch a two hour ride on a flat bottom steel boat. with our river guide Dave.

Dave explains Lily Pad Habitat

Whistling Kite

Sea Eagle

Jabiru - Stork

Lurking Under the Lily Pads

It was an extraordinary ride through the lily pad habitat of numerous bird species and crocodiles, fresh and salty.  The photos just don't do justice to the incredible variety of birdlife and the beauty of the flowers.

We only had a short drive to our campsite, gathering some firewood along the way, and oh what a treat!  Behold!  Green grass, and spacious - screened 2 person tents with real beds, lights, and a rotating floor fans greeted us. No swags tonight.  We were really going to live large, and I for one was giddy with excitement.

Sunset from Inside Our Tent

 The cook/dining tent was large, clean, and screened.  This time of the year, there aren't a lot of mossies (oz talk for mosquitoes), but afternoon thunderstorms and rain are common place, neither one happened while we were here,  but this is the reason for the tents.  We were in heaven.

After a tasty dinner of vegetable stir-fry, butter chicken and rice, we gathered around the campfire.  

Our river guide Dave came by with his guitar.  Luke had a collection of drums, sticks, and didgerydoos.  We sang songs, and took turns tryIng to make some sounds on the didgerydoo. These instruments are not easy to play.   

Little  by little people started to drift away, taking showers and preparing for bed. We slept well throughout the warm night not needing any covering.  Yep! It was nice to be on a bed in a screened and spacious tent.  I think this was the "top-end" I had been expecting  from the beginning.